THE REAL ENEMY OF THE PEOPLE The news yesterday that a California man was arrested and charged with making numerous death threats against the Boston Globe and its employees as a result of their campaign to defend the First Amendment against the insidious attacks of President Donald Trump is indeed troubling in several ways. Trump has tweeted as recently as yesterday about the media and the so called “fake news” and how the media is “the enemy of the people!” Here is the tweet, unedited. “I just cannot state strongly enough how totally dishonest much of the Media is. Truth doesn’t matter to them, they only have their hatred & agenda. This includes fake books, which come out about me all the time, always anonymous sources, and are pure fiction. Enemy of the People!” Ladies and gentlemen, this is the President of the United States of America, calling the free and independent news media, in Josef Stalin’s very own words “the enemy of the people”. Next let me remind everyone of the next item-it’s called the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America and it reads as follows: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances”. I know CROOKED DONALD isn’t much on reading, but this Amendment, the VERY FIRST one written by the framers of our Constitution, is short and sweet. It guarantees freedom of speech and a free press. Period. There are no caveats included for “fake news” or FAUX NEWS for that matter. He should read it sometime. And for the biggest purveyor of misinformation and fake news since Randolph Hearst to make these statements makes them all the more insidious. I also noticed Trump picked another glamour spot in the rust belt and the Hoosier State (home of VP Mike “I’M A LITTLE DENSE” Pence), Evansville, IN to rally the so called base. I used to work in Evansville, and the people there are rock solid Americans. They, too, have been mislead by this administration on everything from the fraudulent “middle class” tax cut to the tariffs which are killing the local soybean farmers to the reemergence of king coal to save the day. I wonder what these people are thinking about their vote now?!? I see the faces at these rallies and wonder to myself how could people be so blind to the truth that they willingly accept whatever nonsense this charlatan throws their way while all the while he and his REPUBLIKAN and corporate donor cronies are stealing them blind and destroying both the environment and our democratic institutions, like DOJ and the FBI. I understand the 30% or so of the shrinking “base” who would support this buffoon if he shot Robert Mueller on the steps of the Supreme Court-what I don’t understand is why people who would otherwise run this man out of town for his lies, adulterous affairs, collusion with Russia and subsequent cover up, destruction of the environment and trade tariffs continue to support him?????? I’m talking about the moderate Republican voters and the independent voters who voted for him believing the BULLS*IT promises he made on the campaign trail and all of the propaganda generated about Hillary Clinton. How can these people possible still support him??? I think we’ll find the answer out in just a couple of months when hopefully voters of ALL parties will recognize what an abysmal situation this President has put us in, both domestically and internationally, as well as all of his cronies in the REPUBLIKAN Party who are up for reelection this fall have put our great country in. MAKE AMERICA GREAT-gimme a break!! The only thing standing between us and the abyss is November, ladies and gentlemen, and it’s up to each and every one of us to do our duty as citizens and cast our ballots. It is the only true measure of our democracy, and hopefully the results will be free of hacking by the Russians or any other outside influences as was the case in our last rigged elections. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, particularly in light of the fact that we have a POTUS who is actually urging his supporters to commit violent acts against members of the media-the future of our DEMOCRACY depends on your vote in November. Take it seriously.
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MONKEYING IT UP IN THE GUNSHINE STATE
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse than our current state of political tribalism, along comes a guy like Ron DeSantis, the REPUBLIKAN candidate for Governor of Florida, otherwise known as the “GUNSHINE” State. After his victory in the REPUBLIKAN primary race on Tuesday night, he made the following remarks about his Democratic opponent, Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum: “Calling Gillum "an articulate spokesman" for the far left, DeSantis said during an interview on Fox News when asked about his opponent, "The last thing we need to do is to monkey this up by trying to embrace a socialist agenda with huge tax increases and bankrupting the state." The thing is, Andrew Gillum is an African American. To use the term “monkeying it up” when referring to any person of color would obviously have negative connotations to that person, and to infer we are ourselves bigots for assuming the remark was indeed racist is itself absurd. Anybody would make the same inference, particularly when the remark comes from an individual who has allied himself so closely with Donald Trump (did you see the campaign ad of him reading to his child about Donald Trump???) ((truly fairy tales!)) that if CROOKED DONALD stops walking Desantis would have his nose up Trump’s rear end!!!! Gillum, on the other hand, is a liberal Democrat with the backing of Bernie Sanders, a political force obviously still to be reckoned with. It would be a very interesting race without the race card being immediately interjected as it was yesterday by DeSantis; now it is one which will garner national attention and headlines. Florida is now the third largest state in the union. Seventy five percent of its population is white, compared to only 15% African American. The state voted overwhelmingly for Donald Trump in the 2016 election. Based on these demographics, it is easy to ascertain the strategy that DeSantis is employing in this campaign-to pander to the white Trump base that populates the rural areas and those in central and northern Florida. With a large Hispanic population in south Florida, including Miami and Dade County, it’s hard to imagine much support for him in this region. I nicknamed Florida the “GUNSHINE” State due to the incidences of mass murder which have been committed there (see Pulse night club in Orlando, Stoneman Douglas High School, Jacksonville Madden tourney, etc.). I’m sure everyone interested in politics today will be watching this campaign closely as it unfolds. It is the Great White Hope and the politics of divisiveness vs. Inclusion and the real issues confronting the average American, wage growth, taxes, the environment, etc. Let’s hope that this racist bigot, DeSantis, goes down in flames just like the rest of his REPUBLIKAN cohorts seeking elective office around the country in November. It is the only way that we will take back our country from the elite special interest groups and fear mongers who have taken root in our body politic like a cancer. Vote ‘Em Totally Out!!! VETO PARTY. PUERTO RICO-U.S. TERRITORY or THIRD WORLD SHI*HOLE?!? The study conducted by George Washington University which estimated the death toll in Puerto Rico to be close to three thousand people from last year’s Hurricane Maria, nearly twice as many as died from Hurricane Katrina is incredible. It is incredible for several reasons, not the least of which is that many of these tragic deaths were avoidable had the United States government responded in a fashion fitting the scope of the disaster rather than a photo op for Donald Trump so he could chuck water bottles at victims and brag about how his government response rated a “10”!!! Does anyone remember Eric Zenke, the Interior Secretary appointing his next door neighbor’s company with exactly TWO employees to restore electrical power to the devastated island, power which was only recently restored to the entire island nearly one year after the hurricane struck?!? I know geography is no longer a strong suit for our high school and college age students, and in reality there are probably many of them and others who do not realize Puerto Rico is PART OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA!!!!! It is an unincorporated territory, and is not one of the so called third world “shi*holes” described by Donald Trump. The response from the United States government, however, to the devastation of Maria and the island’s recovery efforts has been so abysmal and lacking in focus and direction that Congress should immediately begin an investigation into how this entire disaster has been handled by the federal government, from Trump on down. How could something like this be allowed to happen in this day and age??? Nearly 3000 individuals perished, many of them unnecessarily, as a direct result of the inadequacies of the government’s response. Because they lacked such basic necessities as electricity, water, and shelter and were left to their own devices in many isolated areas around the country, many elderly people simply perished. And then to claim that only eighteen people died in the storm for almost a year after the fact despite numerous studies indicating a much higher death toll seems criminal in and of itself. To watch the video of Trump bragging about the wonderful response of the government in the weeks following Maria is like so many of his other sound bites, enough to make you sick to your stomach!!! It is yet again another example of how his government, staffed with inexperienced and incompetent individuals, has failed the American people. They should all be held accountable for this tragedy of historical proportion!! And Congress has DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to address it. It is indeed shameful. CURMUDGEON IN THE WHITE HOUSE curmudgeon (plural curmudgeons) John Doe's old age and stubborn aversion to new ideas make him a curmudgeon of a candidate. Translations ± ▼an ill-tempered stubborn person Following the latest incredible gaffe over the flag flying over the White House being raised from half staff before John McCain’s internment, as is the appropriate custom, by a mean spirited and vindictive Donald Trump (remember the Obamacare vote???), the panel on “Morning Joe” was struggling to come up with the appropriate label to place on his churlish behavior. I choose the word “curmudgeon” as defined by Wiktionary above to describe the total jackass who currently occupies the peoples house at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. His behavior with regard to the passing of Senator John McCain, failing to issue any timely statement immediately following his passing, the raising of the flag over the White House in total disrespect to ALL veterans (thanks for standing tall, American Legion!!!), his refusal to answer questions regarding McCain’s service to his country and finally his half assed message of consolation and gratitude, only brought forth when every single advisor he has left urged him to step up, are all indicative of the total smallness of the man. His heart is actually smaller than his hands! Even Mitch McConnell rose to the occasion by allowing John McCain to lie in state in the very place he loved so dearly and also his eloquent message on the Senate floor yesterday regarding his colleague’s passing and service to his country. But POTUS couldn’t bring himself to put country first, petty political differences aside. No, he chose instead of elevating us in a time of need to further divide our country by his actions or lack thereof. If there were ever any questions about this man’s complete lack of character or compassion, I believe they have been answered. He has neither. Thank you once again, John McCain, for your service to your country, both in the military and in politics. You acquitted yourself honorably, which is much more than we have seen from Donald Trump. We shall persevere, and we will continue to be a guiding light to the rest of the world as you envisioned DESPITE our current Curmudgeon in the White House! JOHN MCCAIN-A TRUE AMERICAN HERO I went outside last night and admit I did something I haven’t done for a very long time-I put my American flag to half staff in honor of the passing of United States Senator John McCain, who died last evening at the age of 81 years old. His voice of reason and his ability to put country ahead of self interest was evident throughout his life and career, both in the military and in Congress. He transcended the politics of bitterness and division we see so openly on display today by reaching across the aisle to his Democratic counterparts to make things better for our great nation. Many of his colleagues could learn from the way he conducted himself. McCain graduated from the United States Naval Academy in 1958 and followed his father and grandfather—both four-star admirals—into the U.S. Navy. He became a naval aviator and flew ground-attack aircraft from aircraft carriers. During the Vietnam War, he was almost killed in the 1967 USS Forrestal fire. While McCain was on a bombing mission during Operation Rolling Thunder over Hanoi in October 1967, he was shot down, seriously injured, and captured by the North Vietnamese. He was a prisoner of war until 1973. McCain experienced episodes of torture and refused an out-of-sequence early repatriation offer. The wounds that he sustained during the war left him with lifelong physical disabilities. He retired from the Navy as a captain in 1981 and moved to Arizona, where he entered politics. In 1982, McCain was elected to the United States House of Representatives, where he served two terms. He entered the U.S. Senate in 1987 and easily won reelection five times, the last time in 2016. Here was a man who easily could have used the influence of his father to gain release from the infamous “Hanoi Hilton”. He chose not to do so, instead deciding to remain in captivity, subjected to brutal torture and treatment by the North Vietnamese, to stand with his brothers in arms until they could all go home. This is a man who, despite unbelievable pressure from the White House and his own party, turned thumbs down, literally and figuratively, on the repeal of Obamacare which would have been debilitating to millions of Americans. For this he incurred the wrath of POTUS, who had previously made disparaging comments about McCain, including stating incredibly “"He's not a war hero. He's a war hero because he was captured. I like people that weren't captured." This from a man who on five separate occasions was granted deferment from military service because of “fallen arches”. In other words, unlike McCain who sacrificed his own personal opportunity in order to serve his country, Donald Trump used his family influence to duck out of serving his country and to his own benefit. Therein lies the difference between a real patriot and a “sunshine” patriot like Trump, who constantly plays up his love for all things military in order to cover his own insecurities over his own record of service. John McCain is called a “maverick” in many circles. Both political parties could learn from his conduct while he held office up until the very end, with honor and dignity. Compare his character and actions with those of say, Mitch McConnell, the truly feckless Senate Majority Leader who stands silently by while POTUS destroys our country. There is no comparison. You will be missed, Senator McCain. Even though I disagreed with many of your positions on policy and you infamously selected Sarah Palin as a running mate in your Presidential bid in 2008, I admired your tenacity and forthrightness in discussing these issues. Our country and the world will be a lesser place with your passing into history. I’ll remember this about Senator McCain, just like he wants inscribed on his tombstone…”he served his country”. RIP. SEX, TAPES, LIES and the “I” WORD At this point, we now have a sitting POTUS who is an unnamed co-conspirator in a felony. He is also the subject of an ongoing investigation into collusion with the Russians in interfering in our 2016 presidential election and probably altering the outcome by paying hush money to keep numerous stories of his infidelities quiet until after the election and then covering up in order to hide the facts of the case. He has had numerous confidants, including his personal attorney, his National Security Advisor and his campaign manager either convicted of or pleading guilty to numerous felonies. He has been alleged to have had numerous extramarital affairs, with Playboy Playmates and porn stars, among others. He kowtowed before Vladimir Putin on the world stage in Helsinki, appearing not to be the leader of the free world but a mischievous schoolboy called to the principal’s office!! With all of this said, we have Democrats in Congress in both Houses who are scared to death to use the so called “I” word, which is IMPEACHMENT. This is one of the reasons the Democratic Party is in desperate need of new leadership. I’m sorry, Nancy, but it is past time for you to step aside. Sorry, Bernie and Hillary, same applies to you. We need someone who isn’t concerned about instituting proceedings in Congress, or even talking about it, merely because they are afraid of somehow losing votes in November. The fact is that we have a sitting POTUS whose actions and attempts to cover them up with the likes of Rudy Giuliani and Sean Hannity are clearly beyond the pale of politics, actions that make Richard Nixon look like a Boy Scout in comparison. And yet, here Congress sits, paralyzed. They have chosen to put their own political futures ahead of the needs of the nation, from “RICH” Mitch McConnell to “CRYIN” Paul Ryan and Lindsay Graham on the Republikan side to Elizabeth warren on the other side of the aisle. I just finished watching “Darkest Hour” the movie about Winston Churchill in wartime Britain and his incredible leadership in the hours of total desperation when Hitler nearly succeeded in dominating the whole of the European continent including England. While everyone around him desperately tried to figure out a way to “surrender with favorable terms” to an absolute madman, Churchill instead followed his own instincts and rallied the people of England with one of the most famous speeches in history! “Even though large tracts of Europe and many old and famous States have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Gestapo and all the odious apparatus of Nazi rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old.” I ask simply, right now, where is our Winston Churchill?!? Some might argue that these are some of our “darkest hours” under CROOKED DONALD and his constant manipulation of the law and truth, his constant attacks on our institutions such as the intelligence community and the FBI and his all out propaganda campaign to quash the Mueller investigation, which will probably turn out to be the straw that breaks the camels back when it is finally released. Who will step up and put the protection of our Constitution and the norms of governance ahead of the politics of the tribe?!? We need such a person desperately, and it now appears one of the few individuals who had the stones to speak out, our national hero John McCain, is fighting his final battle. In his name and honor, we need another courageous politician, Democrat or Republikan, who will come forward in our hour of need and save us from the evil monster named Donald Trump!!! Before it’s too late………………… WEST (OMG!!!) VIRGINIA-ALMOST HEAVEN???
I’m sure you’ve heard the John Denver song about his home state of West (By God!) Virginia entitled “Country Roads”. Apparently, it is one of CROOKED DONALD’S favorite places, too, because every time he needs to lick his wounds from another round of devastating news (see Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen) he shows up there for another “campaign rally”. The latest episode was Tuesday night in Charleston, in front of an enthusiastic crowd and signs that claimed “TRUMP DIGS COAL” and “MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”. They cheered his every word, including the two people of color and the few women who incredibly showed their support for the most racist and anti feminist POTUS in history. Let’s first talk about West Virginia. The state license tag reads “Wild and Wonderful”. Maybe it should read “RED and DEAD in the HEAD” instead! I have known a number of individuals from the Mountaineer State, some I call family, some I call friends. But each time I witness these sad individuals putting their absolute trust in a man who repeatedly has lied to them about bringing back the coal and steel jobs which left the state long ago, it makes me wonder just how desperate these people must be or how out of touch with main stream America these people really are?!? These jobs are NOT coming back, and instead of promoting dying industries and contributing to the disaster of global warming by rolling back EPA emissions standards for coal fired power plants, the administration should be discussing alternative programs to retrain and reeducate the workforce. Instead, Trump continues to lead these poor people around like sheep being led to the altar for sacrifice, and they willingly and blindly follow. Look at the Governor. Here is a man who made his money on the backs of these poor miners and their families, owns one of the most exclusive and exclusionary resorts in America, and a REPUBLIKAN haven, the Greenbrier. After the death of his father in 1993, Justice inherited ownership of Bluestone Industries and Bluestone Coal Corporation. In 2009, he sold some of his coal business to the Russian company Mechel for $568 million. In 2015, after a huge drop in the price of coal which led Mechel to close some of the mines, he bought the business back for just $5 million. Justice's mining companies have a history of safety violation and unpaid taxes; in 2016, NPR called him the "top mine safety delinquent" in the United States.[9] Justice owes millions of dollars to the government in back taxes, and unpaid coal mining fees and fines: "His mining companies owe $15 million in six states, including property and minerals taxes, state coal severance and withholding taxes, and federal income, excise and unemployment taxes, as well as mine safety penalties, according to county, state and federal records."[10] Justice serves as the owner or chief executive officer of over 50 companies, including The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, which he bought for $20.5 million in 2009, preventing its bankruptcy.[6] Forbes estimates Justice's net worth at $1.6 billion, making him the richest man in West Virginia.[13] As of 2014, he owned 70 active mines in 5 states. And, oh, by the way, he’s such an ardent TRUMP supporter that he left the Democratic Party last year to join the party of the Wealthy, the GOP. It’s a good place for him, given his abysmal record. The state’s politics are as crooked I-64 between Huntington and Lewisburg through the mountains. The Hatfield’s and McCoy’s called this area home, and the state ranks almost last in every measurable statistic from education to income. It’s easy to see why CROOKED DONALD feels right at home here-it’s as “DEAD RED” a place as you will find in America, and to these people it wouldn’t matter if he, like their Governor “Diamond” Jim Justice, shot someone down in the street at high noon in downtown Charleston. Just look at the crowd at the next so called “rally”-it turns my stomach to witness frankly! Just like Alabama, a state which has given us the likes of George Wallace and Roy Moore, I have no quarrel with the people of West Virginia-it’s their politics I can’t stand!! Their right wing and conservative political leaders do NOT have their best interests at heart any more than CROOKED DONALD does our country’s-it’s time they realized the dead end mountain road isn’t “almost heaven”!!!!! IN A NEW YORK MINUTE I’ve always loved storms, thunderstorms, snowstorms, I’ve always been fascinated by them. Many times over the last thirty plus years we’ve been in our home, I’ve stood in the garage as the winds howled, thunder boomed and the rain pelted down, enjoying the show, feeling safe and secure. Last night was another occasion to enjoy the coming storm. I had watched the weather, as I always do, and seen a line of storms moving to the east from the Evansville area, but the weatherman on TV said there were signs they were weakening. When the storm clouds rolled in around 8:45 p.m. last night, they were wicked looking. I commented to my wife it was time to hit the basement, and as usual she ignored me and continued whatever more important than life itself task she was working on at the time. While I stood in my office in the basement (below ground level) and listened to the wind pick up, I figured we were in for a doozy. But it wasn’t. It had indeed weakened, as many thunderstorms do as they cross over Floyd’s Knobs rolling east and break apart. I came back upstairs, observed the deluge for a few moments, and decided to call it a night. At approximately 9:45 p.m. or so, I was literally blown out of my bed by a blast so loud it sounded like a bomb had gone off on top of the house!! My wife, in the back bedroom, directly below the tree which was struck by lightning, came screaming down the hall, our tiny Chihuahua in her arms, both in a state of panic. Somehow, like when I experienced my first earthquake in L.A. many years ago, I instinctively knew it had to be a lightning strike as I ran out of the bedroom to see what had happened. The entire back of the house, normally well lit, was pitch black. We found our flashlights, and went out on the deck to see what had happened. There were fragments of branches, branches and debris from the tree everywhere, on the deck, on the roof, in the yard. The tree had literally exploded from the strike. A very strong odor of burning electrical came from the garage. We discovered all of the electrical outlets and whatever was plugged into them was literally blown out of the wall. The cover was blown off my garage door light. My weed eater battery charger was incinerated. I quickly thought to myself-what if I had been standing in the garage at the time? This was twenty to thirty minutes after the main line of storms had passed. Anyway, our little world was blown apart last night. It was an incredible experience, one I hope I never have again. I have always had a healthy respect for Mother Nature, but between ice storms, late season snow storms and several different thunderstorms this summer, my trees and yard have taken a serious pounding. You go to sleep one night in the most secure place in the world, your own home, and IN A NEW YORK MINUTE everything changes!!! We can’t take anything for granted while we occupy our time and space on this earth, and I urge everyone to remember the golden rule: YOU CAN”T FOOL MOTHER NATURE!!!! THE SHAME OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH The recent grand jury indictments handed down in Pennsylvania which detail literally decades of sexual abuse by hundreds of priests throughout numerous parishes across the state, and the subsequent cover up by bishops and archbishops and even cardinals to protect the predators involved and the reputation of the church is hard to comprehend in its sheer scope. It is especially disturbing in light of the fact we have been led to believe by Pope Francis and his band of merry men that the Church had addressed these issues and dealt with those who perpetrated these heinous acts upon innocent and unsuspecting children. It turns out they were addressed by either financial pay offs, transferring the sexual predators to another parish with a whole new batch of unsuspecting victims or promoting them up the chain to supervise other perpetrators and cover up for them. I grew up as a Roman Catholic. I was baptized before I could crawl, took first communion in second grade and the confirmation name Thomas, after the doubting apostle. At that time, our catechism taught us if you weren’t a Catholic you were condemned to eternal damnation, regardless of what type person you were in life. I served as an altar boy, was forced to attend mass every day as part of my parochial grade school protocol and attended two different Catholic boys’ high schools taught by priests and brothers. Religion was a required curriculum. In essence, I was force fed and brainwashed for approximately ten years into believing all the good the church was doing in the community with the fish fries and carnivals and all the good times. All the while the parish priest has little Timmy from second grade over at the rectory for some “private tutoring!” All the while, the area bishop had the only key to a secret file detailing these abhorrent acts and the individuals responsible. The Church knew full well what was going on, and deliberately chose to cover it up rather than revealing their dirty little secrets. Shame on them, from the Pope on down the line. These are supposed to be men of God. Instead, we find out they are in reality instruments of evil. Its little wonder I and many more like me left the Church. The final straw for me was when our parish priest refused to marry me and my wife to be, while her family’s Presbyterian minister agreed to do so after meeting with us at her father’s suggestion. I have attended mass once or twice since, once for a wedding the other as a favor to my mom for a job I got after she said she had prayed for me, a job from which I was fired by e mail six months later. My mother is ninety four years old and has prayed for a lot of things in her day, including that she never be committed to an assisted living facility. She has been in one now for over five years, so I guess those prayers didn’t get answered either. She, like so many other Catholics I know, are Christians in name only. They claim to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and life eternal but live their lives like heathens. Looking back on these problems, it’s pretty simple to figure out. The Catholic Church requires its priests to be celibate. And by denying the normal marital relationships which would normally satisfy sexual desires, the Church has actually encouraged deviant behavior. And then people are expected to seek marital and other type advice from these celibate individuals?!? It just doesn’t add up, and we are seeing the consequences of this idiotic mandate. If Pennsylvania uncovered this type of incredible criminal activity and subsequent cover up, you can be sure that similar statistics and cases exist in virtually every other state. It appears that the millions of dollars in settlement money already paid out doesn’t even begin to cover the damages, and it might be the best way to rectify this entire situation and put an end to it would be by hitting the Catholic Church where it is most vulnerable-in the pocketbook!!! Meanwhile, the Vatican remains silent on this latest public relations catastrophe. There are over ONE BILLION Catholics worldwide. Every single one of them should be absolutely ashamed of what has transpired over the past decades, and remove any individual within the church hierarchy who is even REMOTELY associated with any such sexual scandal. Period. Only then can they claim true transparency, and only then can they again represent themselves as a legitimate Christian organization instead of a hypocritical and tyrannical monster perpetrating and protecting the worst kind of predator-those who would take advantage of innocent and unsuspecting children. I’m just glad I wasn’t one of them. I feel really sorry for those who were victimized, and hope the day of reckoning is at hand for those responsible!! Judgment Day!!!! DEATH OF AN ADMINISTRATION (a play by Stephen Miller)
Starring: “Crooked” Donald Trump as Willy Loman Donald Jr. as Biff Loman Eric Trump as Happy Loman Melania Trump as Linda Loman Fred Trump as Uncle Ben And Stormy Daniels as the Woman Scene I. Willy has just returned home from a disastrous business trip to Finland, where he met with his chief competitor to work out a compromise to avoid a trade war but instead left a bullied and kowtowed loser. He complains to Biff and Happy, but they are too concerned with their own problems to give a damn. Linda can’t wait to divorce the total loser of a husband she married, and Uncle Ben is turning over in his grave at the sight of what his nephew has become. And the woman decides to ignore her NDA with Willy and go public with their affair, which drives Willy further and further over the edge. Scene II. As the investigation into Willy’s past association with his competitor digs deeper into the collusion and restraint of trade he is guilty of, Willy grows increasingly more reckless in his actions and behavior. He hires attorneys who tape him and then betray him, attorneys who know nothing about which they speak. He ultimately self destructs, but not before taking the rest of the family and all of their known friends and associates down as well. He is ultimately fired from his job and commits suicide rather than confront his own massive ego and the failures and the destruction he has wrought upon his family and community. Reality and IllusionDeath of an Aministration uses flashbacks to present Willy’s memory during the reality. The illusion not only “suggests the past, but also presents the lost pastoral life.” Willy has dreamed of success his whole life and makes up lies about his and Biff’s success. The more he indulges in the illusion, the harder it is for him to face reality. Biff is the only one who realizes that the whole family lived in the lies and tries to face the truth.[4] Willy Loman Willy Loman dreams of being a successful salesman like Dave Single man, somebody who has both wealth and freedom. Willy believes that the key to success is being well-liked, and his frequent flashbacks show that he measures happiness in terms of wealth and popularity.[5] One analyst of the play writes: “Society tries to teach that, if people are rich and well-liked, they will be happy. Because of this, Willy thought that money would make him happy. He never bothered to try to be happy with what he had …” [6] Willy also believes that to attain success, one must have a suitable personality. According to another analyst, “He believes that salesmanship is based on ‘sterling traits of character’ and ‘a pleasing personality.’ But Willy does not have the requisite sterling traits of character; people simply do not like him as much as he thinks is necessary for success. (compliments of Wikipedia). Does this sound like anyone we know?? Our very own first family?!? I don’t think this version has a happy ending either!!! |
About Mike ColeBorn in Hamilton, OH but a proud Kentuckian since age two. One brother and three sisters. Suburban, Catholic middle-class upbringing. Attended Jefferson Community College and Pasadena Community College. Proud father of four and grandfather to seven, and most of all, a concerned American citizen! Are you??? Categories |